A Contrarian’s View of the Photo Business

I consult to a few major corporations about the freelance photography business and I continue to author papers that are “contrarian” in nature about the business. One of my most popular articles was posted on the Shakodo blog.

Most freelance photography business education programs start with the use of a “Cost of Business Calculator.” Unfortunately too many people are using and teaching it in an incorrect manner. This article starts off discussing how I felt the CODB Calculator was being used to hurt the profession, rather than help it.

It starts: “They lost me at the “Cost of Doing Business” calculator. You know, the formula everyone starts you out with: Your overhead expenses + desired salary = your total annual cost ÷ number of billable days = your CODB.”